Improvements relating to containers for liquids and to means for assembling together a plurality of containers



May 8, 1962 c. E. FOX 3,033,412 IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO CONTAINERS FOR LIQUIDS AND TO MEANS FOR ASSEMBLING TOGETHER A PLURALITY OF coNTAINERs Filed March 27, 1959 /Nl EN7'0 BY x m ATTORNEY States Patent Dfice IMPROVEMENTS RELATING T CONTAINERS FOR LIQUHDS AND TO MEANS FOR ASSEM- BLING TOGETHER A PLURALITY OF CON- TAINERS Clifford Eyton Fox, London, England, assignor to Baird and Tatlock (London) Limited, Chadwell Heath, Essex County, England, a company of Great Britain Filed Mar. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 802,433 Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 28, 1958 Claim. (Cl. 22023.4)

This invention relates to containers for liquids and to means for assembling together a plurality of containers.

It is often required, for example in laboratory work, to take repeated samples of liquids or to treat a number of samples with a predetermined quantity of a reagent. Such containers may, for example, be test tubes and it is known to mount a plurality of test tubes either in concentric rings or in a spiral formation in a rotatable rack arranged so that each test tube may be moved past a dispensing location or alternatively to dispose test tubes or other containers at spaced intervals along a moving belt. Such arrangements have proved only partially successful and for example do not readily allow for individual batches of containers to be removed and readily handled as a batch. Since each container is separately mounted in a rack or belt the space occupied by the latter limits the number of containers which may be employed.

Furthermore it may also be desired to provide a batch of containers which are kept together in a readily handleable condition but which at the same time may be easily separated.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for removably securing together a plurality of similar containers which enables the containers to be handled as a self supporting batch and at the same time enables individual containers readily to be removed from the batch.

A further object is the provision of such means for removably securing together a plurality of similar containers into a self supporting flexible belt capable of being deformed in a horizontal direction when the axes of the containers are vertical and which enables individual containers or batches of containers readily to be detached from the belt. 7

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a flexible belt of containers which is self supporting and capable of being closely coiled for example around a driving capstan.

According to the present invention there is provided a double ended spring clip capable of being engaged with similar cylindrical portions of adjacent containers.

Another aspect of the invention provides a batch of containers each formed with .a similar cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portions of adjacent containers being joined together by means of at least one spring clip according to the immediately preceding paragraph, so that the batch is deformable about the axes of the cylindrical portions of each container.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a flexible belt comprising a plurality of cylindrical containers, such as test tubes, which are individually non self supporting, adjacent containers being joined together by spring clips according to the invention so that the belt is deformable about the axis of each container capstan.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows in perspective a spring clip according to the invention and FIG. 2 shows in side elevation a batch of containers.

Referring to the drawing FIG. 1 shows a double ended spring clip formed from two generally U-shaped members 1 and 2 joined as by riveting at their bases 3. Each of the members 1 and 2 has substantially part circular limbs 4 each formed with an outwardly turned lip 5 at its end remote from the base 3.

As shown in FIG. 2 a batch of test tubes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are each joined to adjacent tubes by two spring clips. Thus the tubes 6 and 7 arejoined by clips 12 and 13, the tubes 7 and 8 by clips 14 and .15, the tubes 8 and 9 by clips 16 and 17, the tubes 9 and 10 by clips 18 and 19 and the tubes 10 and 11 by clips 20 and 21. The batch is held together with the axes of the tubes parallel and is not deformable in any direction parallel with the plane containing these axes but is readily deformable about the axis of any tube in a direction at right angles thereto. The tubes of the batch can therefore be handled readily by an operator and the batch can be deformed to be self supporting on a horizontal surface. Furthermore by adding further tubes a continuous belt may be provided which is capable of being coiled "about a vertical axis so that a large number of tubes may be disposed in a comparatively small space. For example the belt may be unwound from one coil, moved past a dispensing location and recoiled around a driving capstan.

It will be appreciated that individual tubes may readily be removed from a batch and the remaining tubes rejoined or individual tubes or batches of tubes may be similarly removed from a belt.

I claim:

A self-supporting flexible belt comprising a plurality of substantially cylindrical individually non self-supporting containers arranged in side-by-side relation with their axes substantially vertically disposed, a first pair of spaced members extending between the containers of a first pair constituted by one container and the next adjacent container to one side of said one container, clip means at each end of said members removably and rotatively engaged with the respective containers of said first pair of containers at locations spaced along the length thereof, a second pair of spaced members extending between the containers of a second pair constituted by said one container and the next adjacent container to the other side of said one container, and clip means at each end of each member of said second pair of members removably and rotatively engaged with the respective containers of said second pair of containers with at least one of said clip means disposed between the clip means of said first pair of members which are engaged with the container common to said first and second pairs of containers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 891,374 Ruszitszka June 23, 1908 1,980,930 Reyniers Nov. 13, 1934 2,637,475 Gialane1la May 5, 1953 Patented May 8, 1962 

